WORLD: Chiafella, TIME: 6357, CHARACTER: Xia

"And what if I fall? Will the monsters come and eat me alive?"

"No, darling, the monsters don't eat small children. They just like to scare them. And you know what? I think those creatures are scared themselves, that's why they are hiding in the darkness. Don't be afraid and sleep now."

I pull up the covers on Geeni's bed and kiss her good night, taking the burning lantern with me as I close the door. I walk the two flights of wooden steps to the downstairs hall and wonder how do such weird thoughts get into a child's mind. Whatever my little one is afraid of, I hope that by now she's sleeping peacefully and doesn't have any nightmares. There are nights when her screams wake me up, running up to her little bed and holding her in my embrace until she falls to dream again. And sometimes her fears shake my soul so deeply that I have feelings of these nightmares so real, so true, that I can't escape them. Long sleepless nights are not the only thing that worries me, but I'm adding that to the account of my own loneliness and occasional depression. I have been really lonely for the past few years since my husband died, taking all the love and affection to the grave with him. Never since that time have I felt happy, except for the times with Geeni, my only, beloved daughter.

The largest hall of the house has always been a pleasant place to me, a hideaway to spend the hours before the slow sunsets behind the snowy hilltops, far beyond the tall stained-glass windows. I pour myself a full glass of red wine, which I recall has been bought during one of our frequent visits to the ChiafellaMain, the capital of the whole planet and the center of trade, as well as a place where news arrived daily from across the scattered isles and from the planets all over the system. The last time in the capital we have been allowed into the king's palace, which is the greatest honor presented only to the most respected or richest families of Chiafella, and we were delighted to inspect all of the famed treasures at close range.

I love to dream of happy times once past when there's nobody around so that I don't need to hide a tear in the corner of my eye. The life was beautiful, yes. Will I ever love again? Will I dare to look into some man's eyes and speak the words I have never said, ease my mind and hope and dreams and let my life pass by in peace and silence, just holding onto that wonderful, clean love with the treasures lying at my feet and my fate decided? I remove my gold-trimmed shoes and pull my legs up on the sofa, so soft with all the cushions rich in brocade and silver and pearls in the smoothest lace. What is all this wealth good to me now, with the sorrow and sadness embracing my mind, as if the darkness from below had been dwelling inside this very house?

Let it go, let it go until tomorrow, when the sun rises again and we unveil and open the windows to let it shine and illuminate our living places with all its softness and warm heat. I take another sip, emptying the tall glass of crimson and gold to the bottom, and fill it to the top once more, watching the precious liquid flow slowly within a thin red stream, sparkling in the web of light created by the lantern. The night, so bright to the outside world, illuminated by the everlasting sun, which we are commanded to shelter in these hours for the sake of life's continuity, told to retreat to our houses and bolt the doors and windows, to stay in safety in this night within the day, stay perhaps in a little of ignorance.

"Mama, mama!" A cry comes from above the stairs, followed by an awful scream. The half-empty glass drops from my hands and hits the carpet, shattering to pieces, as I stagger to rise to my feet and run up the stairway as quickly as I can. Tearing the door open I see the little girl sitting on the bed, sobbing loud in utter darkness. I cross the room up to the window and push the heavy curtains aside to flood the entire bedroom with striking sunlight. I walk back and sit on the bed beside the desperately crying child, which throws her arms around me immediately and holds me with all her strength for the longest time. When she calms down she starts to speak in a barely audible, shaking voice.

"I'm so scared, mama...They're down there, the ugly monsters, with red eyes and teeth and claws. And they crawled from under my bed and bit and scratched me...It was so awful..."

"Hush...you know it was a dream, just a nightmare..."

"Yes...but...I've seen them like they were real. I've heard their thoughts and their evil laughter...They hate us, mama, they want us to die, all of us..."

"Now you're making up, honey," I kiss her sweet cheeks wet from the tears and further try to persuade her that no such things and no such creatures exist. Finally I succeed and lay her small body upon the velvet pillows. Then I walk over and let the room fall into comfortable darkness again, giving a quick glance at the distant houses outside the window to make sure that nobody has witnessed this little violation of the Night Law. Now only I have to convince myself that everything is all right, that no real danger exists that would threaten to come to tear us apart from the depths below our floating islands.

Hours later I am awakened from my own chaotic dreaming by the chiming bells which start off each and every day with their crystal-clear synthetic sound. Later in the middle of the usual enlightening of the house by tearing down the brocade draperies I slowly start to feel a strange fear crawling over me, an unnamed yet somehow familiar emotion that something is wrong. I continue my morning ritual until the whole length of the hall is bathing in sunlight, the neon rays falling softly upon every object and giving the room a brand new glance. Then the distinct fear comes again and builds up until it hits me.

I hurry up the stairway and blast into Geeni's bedroom. The blood runs dry in my veins - I view the room in its emptiness, with the unmade bed and pillows scattered over the floor, and a fresh morning breeze coming through the open window. I should have known. I should have foreseen that this might come one day, with all that my precious one was going through. There over the windowpane, far down on the evergreen lawn of flowers, lies an outline of a child. But by the time I get near that part of the garden I am relieved and confused at the same time at the sight of an old broken doll, being what at first looked like Geeni's body, and blood-splattered leaves and flowers all around.

The trace of that blood spilt upon the green of the grass I follow, through the extensive gardens of our property and behind its gates, leading out to the surrounding plains and forests and a few houses scattered on the hillside. Furiously I follow on until the crimson trail fades out in the high grass and among the tall plants I search for clues that wish to stay hidden forever. Like those who have lost everything and they know it, I walk on ahead carelessly and blindly, going anywhere and nowhere, for miles and miles, hours and hours. I cross the plains and follow the streams, seek shadows under the lemon trees and shelter beneath the huge palm leaves. Only the eternal sun is guiding my way, watching and leading me all along with uncompromising power and all-embracing wisdom. My strength and my senses leave me step by step as I walk towards the edge.

Standing on the edge of the isle where the ground falls into nothingness I sit down to rest. All the roads lead nowhere on these islands, floating endlessly upon thin air, held on their place by an unknown force for an unknown reason, and we are left wondering upon the poetry of the misty clouds descending into blackness. As far as our history goes all of our people have been using flying ships or other floating vessels built with anti-gravity engines to close the distance between the thousands of the isles of Chiafella. I can see them even now, as I stare on the imaginary line of the horizon, as they move elegantly, each at their own speed, illuminated by the glowing ball of the sun beyond. The beauty of the floating isles had always been striking to my eyes, with a hint of mystery caused by the inability to comprehend its principle. But now, as I have reached my current state of life and thinking, it is time to say farewell.